Daughter of the Universe
by blueblack337
Summary: Just when Isabelle has finally stabilized her life a god she had only heard stories about becomes more than just a fantasy. She's forced to find her true inner strength and set her world and Asgard back to it's rightful balance. Rated M for adult content and language. AU Loki/OC
1. Chapter 1

Halloween, a time for ghouls and goblins, girls dressing in skirts that are four inches too short and tops two sizes too small. A time for pranks and pumpkin carving. For the most part this is a seemingly innocent holiday and as far as Isabelle was concerned this year wasn't going to be any different. She was busy putting up the final decorations for her party later tonight. It wasn't really so much a party as it was her and a few friends getting together to show off their costumes and get drunk. She was especially proud of it this year since she had hand made her own. Four months of of needle pricks, ripped seams, and insulation foam later and she had created her feminized version of Loki, the god of mischief. She took inspiration from both the costume design in the recent Marvel movies Thor and the Avengers, and threw a dash of the comic book version of female Loki. She even managed to make her own scepter that lit up and horned helm.

A knock at the door drew her from her reverence, "Come in!" she shouted. It was just Anne, one of her friends who just happened to live across the hall. Isabelle and Anne had been friends since high school and wound up going to the same college together. They didn't even bother to lock the doors to their respective apartments anymore since they were in and out of them so much.

"Hey! I brought more tape and I found some extra spider webs I found in my closet."

"Your skeletons are getting that dusty? Maybe spring cleaning should be winter cleaning for you this year."

"Ha, ha, very funny. I'm surprised you're not dressed yet since all you've been able to talk about for months is that damn costume."

Isabelle laughed, "I don't want to hurt it. It's practically my own flesh and blood at this point.'

"Is Thomas still going as Thor?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes. Her boyfriend insisted on having matching costumes this year. He had actually spent the past few months trying to figure out what to go as since Loki doesn't have any comrades. He suggested going as the wolf Fenrir at one point but eventually settled on going as Thor.

"He is. I hope he knows there will be no love making tonight since he's dressed as my brother. That's a hard limit for me."

"You like canning but fake incest is a hard limit?" Anne teased.

Isabelle just shook her head and returned to decorating her apartment. She'd gone all out this year even though there were really just a handful of her close friends showing up this evening. She really did love Halloween, especially all of the cheesy decorations that came with it. Fake blood, gel clings of blood splatters, battery operated ghosts, fake spider webs that you can never really take down because they stick to everything, those were just a few of her favorite things.

When she finished decorating the apartment to her liking she set off to get herself into costume, it was quite an ordeal to get into. She had put many hours into it but it wasn't the easiest to get in and out of; accessibility was an after thought. She curled her dark brown hair so that it fell in large curls halfway down her back stepping out of the bathroom every so often to escape the heat of the curling iron. She applied her smokey eye make up just like she would if she were going out to dance with friends but adding a little more green than normal. Between the make-up and her eye color it looked like she had a forest on her face. Then came the task of putting on her costume.

She slid on her panty hose so she would have a barrier between herself and her black leather pants, it prevented sticking. She wiggled into her pants jumping every so often to help herself into them. Then came the task of putting on the bodice. It was a mess of lacing and straps but it looked damn sexy. This was the only part where she wished someone was here to help instead of having to contort herself into odd shapes to lace up the back. She'd sewn black leather strips over a white corset bodice with a green piece of fabric underneath to make it appear like the leather and green were two separate pieces. The bottom of the bodice had an asymmetrical skirt attached to it with a slit over her left leg. The edges bore the same metal detail and Loki's costume from the Avengers, she worked for over six hours on that edging but she felt it a necessary part of the costume. She would wait till later to don her coat, armor, and helm; there was no point in dressing up entirely for her cat.

A few hours later Anne returned with Lilly in tow. Lilly was dressed as Harley Quinn and Isabelle suspected that David would be dressed as the joker. Anne was dressed to the nines as a 50's house wife and she really did look lovely. As the hour passed a few more of her close friends arrived. She was now dressed in her full get up armor and all including a light up version of Loki's scepter.

"I'm really impressed Izz, we need to take you to a convention," admonished Lilly.

"Oh no, we are. This costume isn't just seeing one night of use," she laughed.

The party continued, drinking games were played, pranks were pulled. The boys finally arrived a couple hours into the festivities.

"You didn't wait on us?" David feigned mock surprise.

The boys embraced their respective girlfriends and joined the gathering. Isabelle did have to admit though Thomas did look extremely attractive in his costume and had they not been dressed as brothers she might have snuck him away to her room right then and there. The party continued until well into the morning before everyone but Anne, Lilly, David, and Thomas remained. They talked way into the wee hours of the morning before they took it down to the parking lot to walk David and Lilly to their car.

A loud crack of thunder startled the group and they all looked to the sky in confusion. Rain was not in the forecast this week but in Texas the weather changes at a moments notice.

"We should get going," said Lilly linking her arm though David's.

"As should we my dear Loki! There is much of your mischief I need to undo," said Thomas with a suggestive smile.

"My dearest Thor, you will never be able to undo any of my mischief this evening," Isabelle retorted.

Another loud crack of thunder split the sky above them making the group a little uneasy. Rain was common but it sounded like it was literally right above their heads. Not but a few seconds later another thunderous clap followed by a stream of what appeared to be lightening poured from the sky. They stood frozen, staring helplessly at the funnel of light not more than eighty feet away from them.

"What is that?" cried Lilly.

Light continued to fall from the sky for what seemed like hours until finally a large explosion of something hitting the ground brought the light stream to its end and in the process sent a shock wave through the ground that knocked the group flat on their backs. Isabelle leaned up on her elbows and shook her head trying to clear the ringing from her ears. She blinked her eyes a few times trying to clear her head when she spotted him.

He stood in the middle of where the light stream had just been moments before dressed in bright silver armor, fitted blue pants, and a billowing crimson cape. She stood retrieving her scepter from the ground next to her hoping that it might make her look slightly more threatening. Her friends had now also spotted the strange man in the middle of the parking lot and moved to stand around her.

"Who is that?" Anne questioned, her voice shaking with fear.

Isabelle and the rest shook their heads but how were they supposed to know. The man turned to face them completely and when they did a surge of both realization and disbelief flooded them. In his right hand he carried a large hammer that glinted in the halogens of the parking lot.

"Mjolnir," Thomas whispered.

"What?" said Anne.

"Thor."

They were officially cowering now because as far as they were concerned Thor, the god of thunder, had just fallen from the sky and was now approaching them. Isabelle now instantly regretting dressing as Loki and shifted herself to stand behind Thomas.

"Loki!" Thor bellowed as he began to walk towards them, "It is I, Thor! I've been looking for you brother, it's time for you to come home."

Isabelle glanced around her group of friends, "Okay guys, if this is some kind of elaborate joke now would be the time to tell me because I think I might piss myself."

"We can't afford special effects like that," whispered Lilly.

They continued to watch as the god continued to approach them. There was nothing else to do but cower in fear since they knew he could strike them down before they managed to run five steps away. His strawberry blonde hair fluttered in the wind like a model in front of a wind machine and had she not been so terrified Isabelle probably would have found him to be quite breath taking.

He stopped a few feet in front of them, "Come Loki, Mother and Father miss you. It's time for you to quit this silly game and return to Asgard."

Isabelle furrowed her brow, "You do realize that I'm a girl right? I'm not your brother, I'm lacking some seriously important parts to complete that equation."

"Do not jest with brother, I'm well aware you can shape shift. I am privy to your gifts of magic."

He was serious, he genuinely thought Isabelle was his brother. Maybe the gang was actually playing some kind of joke that they'd been planning for the last few months. This was eccentric though, even for them.

"You're insane. I don't know who you are but I'm not your brother. I have two brothers but you are neither one of them. I don't know who you are but I'm walking away now and you need to leave in the next twenty seconds or I'm going to call the cops."

Thor looked puzzled, "Cops?"

"You will be detained."

He furrowed his brow, "I was worried you wouldn't recognize me. Set your scepter down."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Set your scepter down. I'm going to prove to you that you are indeed my brother and prince of Asgard."

"No, you need to leave."

"You need not be frightened, I mean you no harm."

"You fell from the sky in a river of light! You are claiming to be Thor, the god of thunder and you keep claiming that I am your brother when I am clearly a girl! You left a small crater in the ground and got up and walked away perfectly fine so pardon me for being slightly frightened."

"Set down your scepter. I know you hold it to protect yourself but trust me when I say that it would do you no good. If I had meant to harm you I would have done it by now. Please, my lady, place it upon the ground in front of you."

Isabelle stared at him weighing her options in her head. She could attempt to run but she didn't foresee that going like she planned, she could set the scepter down and he would kill her, or she could set the scepter down and no harm would come to her. His eyes, they seemed genuinely kind, warm, and sincere. She set the scepter down, if she was going to die he was going to kill her regardless of her plastic scepter or not.

He smiled, "Thank you."

He aimed Mjolnir at her scepter shrouding it a small cloud of lightening. Everyone held their arm up to shield their eyes and still attempting to watch the real magic happening in front of them. This was real, it had to be, she couldn't see a feasible way to fake this. Suddenly, the scepter popped and fizzed sending glittering sparks across the pavement. The lightening faded and Thor placed his arm back at his side staring at the spot where the scepter laid. It shone brighter than anything Isabelle had ever seen. Her handiwork with plastic piping and paint did not do this any kind of justice. This smooth steel and bronze wrapped around each other cupping around the delicate blue orb at the end which, at the present, didn't shine.

Isabelle cocked her head to one side in confusion, "I thought the blue orb was supposed to glow?"

"Pick it up."

"No!" Anne hissed, "What if it explodes or something?"

Thor brought his eyes to Isabelle's, "It won't harm you, it's your scepter. It will only shine when you hold it."

Isabelle moved cautiously from behind Thomas squeezing his hand on the way to reassure herself. She bent at the knees and carefully reached for the scepter, gently touching it with the tips of her fingers. She jumped backwards when the orb began to glow.

"I told you," Thor smiled at her knowingly.

Isabelle reached out again and wrapped her fingers around the base of the handle making the orb glow a bright cobalt. She picked the scepter turning it and testing the weight; it was much heavier than she thought it would be. The weight however, was perfectly balanced so even in it's heftiness it was still easy to hold. She stood holding the scepter in her but this time more confident than before.

"Now you look more like yourself brother."

Isabelle rolled her eyes, "I'm not your brother."

"We should really go inside if we're going to continue this conversation," offered Anne.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. The marched back to the apartment Isabelle leading the way with Thor on her heels. The rest kept their distance from the god out of respect but mostly fear. They walked into the apartment to be greeted by Isabelle's cat hissing incessantly at Thor.

"Why is your feline so small? And why does it look as if it intends to harm me?"

"Ignore her," said Isabelle with flick of her wrist, "she's just confused. She doesn't know who you are."

Thor stopped in front of the cat and bowed, "I am Thor, god of thunder, son of Odin. I pardon my intrusion into your home great feline."

The cat continued to hiss and Isabelle shook her head, "Just ignore her."

They walked further into the apartment and sat in the living room divided with Thor on one side and the group on the other. His presence was great, it's not like the expected anything less I mean after all he was a god. But he stood taller than David who was six and a half feet tall. He had broader shoulders than any man they had ever seen and you could plainly tell through his armor that there was a substantial amount of muscle under it. Even if he wasn't a god he would still be intimidating to them.

Thor sat smiling smugly at Isabelle, "I'm surprised you've picked such a large form Loki."

Isabelle screwed up her face in offense, "What do you mean by large?" Her eyes narrowed warning the god that his next words should be chosen carefully.

"You usually pick someone more athletic."

Isabelle glowered, she had been athletic once upon a time but as she had gotten older she'd gotten lazier about exercising. She still retained a lot of her muscle there were just more plush curves covering them than normal.

"So, can you explain how exactly my girlfriend is your brother?" Thomas huffed exasperated with the whole situation.

Thor looked puzzled, "Girlfriend? I'm not familiar with this term. Is she your betrothed?"

"Something to that effect, can you just explain," Isabelle pushed.

Thor took a deep breath, "You see a long time ago my brother used to live in Asgard with my family until he Odin so he was banished to Midgard or Earth I believe you call it."

"When he let the ice giants in to Asgard?"

Thor rumbled with laughter,"No my lady, that story is something your people conjured up. Nothing like that happened. There are Ice Giants and Jotunhiem does exist but not the way it's been depicted to you. We've seen your moving picture tales of my family, none of that is accurate. My brother did find out his origins which lead him to give away key maneuvers in a battle between the Ice Giants and Odin's army so he was banished to Midgard to learn his lesson which worked for a while but once he was welcomed back the damage was already done. He refused and hid from us so that I could not bring him home. It has taken centuries for us to find him-"

Isabelle cut him off, "Centuries?" she exclaimed, "There's been a god living among us for centuries?"

"Yes, causing chaos and mischief among men. It's what he was born to do. We almost attained him once but he escaped by hiding himself inside of a human being and remaining in them until they died. Now, my lady, he has chosen you to reside inside of."

Isabelle was speechless. There was a god, hiding in her body.

"How long has he been there? Does he know what I do? Is he a conscious being?" She felt ill at the thought of some strange man watching her every move, every day.

"I do not have those answers for you but that's something I would like to know myself. If you would return with me to Asgard we could get those answers for you."

"Come back with you? To Asgard? I don't think so. I'll suffer living with the god of mischief for the rest of my life thanks, " she snipped.

"We have been searching for you for decades. The only way Loki can transfer bodies is when one tires out but we have technology on Asgard to remove him without harming you."

"You want to remove him?"

"Yes, he is long over due to be home."

Isabelle stood and paced the length of the living room. This contradicted everything she was taught growing up about religion, life, how the earth came to be, her morals and beliefs. She was dumbfounded Never in her lifetime would she have ever imagine that she would be asked to be taken worlds away to have a god extracted from her.

"Is that why my eyes and hair changed color," she asked turning to Thor.

The seemingly unrelated question caught him off guard, "What do you mean?"

"I was born with blonde hair and blue eyes but my mother said when I was about eighteen months old my eyes changed color and my hair started growing in dark brown. Is that when Loki entered my body?"

"It could be but I'm not sure, we would have to get the answers from him."

Isabelle sighed, "Fine, I'll go with you. But you have to promise me that once your brother has been removed that you will return me home."

"You have my word," Thor rose and started for the door, "Shall we?"

Isabelle looked at her group of friends, they all had matching expressions of worry and fear. They all walked back out into the parking lot slowly to delay Isabelle's departure. Thor walked to the spot where he had originally descended from and turned to wait while Isabelle said her good-byes. Isabelle hugged everyone in turn stopping at Thomas last kissing him with every ounce of passion she had in her.

"I love you," she whispered tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes.

"Shh, it's okay. You'll come back safe I know it."

"I'm afraid."

"I am too but somehow I know this will work out." He didn't though, but he hoped it did.

Isabelle kissed him once more and walked towards Thor with her heart racing and tears threatening to spill from her eyes at any second. She stopped inches away from the god, "Now what?"

"Hang on to me."

Isabelle did what she was told and put her arm around him still holding her scepter with the other. Now that it was actually a magic scepter it might be of some use to her should she get into any trouble.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Heimdall! Hear me! Bring us home!"

Just like that the sky opened and the stream of light from earlier reappeared and within seconds they were soaring away to the world of the gods, Asgard.


	2. Chapter 2

The upward thrust forced the air out of her lungs and compressed her chest. She tried to scream out of terror but if there was sound coming from her she couldn't tell over the thunderous roaring in her ears. She was starting to feel that if they did not stop soon her skin would be ripped from her body if it hadn't been already; she dare not open her eyes to check. Once it felt like hours had passed they suddenly came to a stop. Thor, being used to traveling in such a manner landed with a graceful thud. Isabelle however somersaulted rather ungracefully and came to a halt laying on her back. She laid unmoving for several seconds before beginning to carefully move her limbs to make sure she had in fact arrived in one piece. She opened her eyes last to find herself in a gold and sapphire encrusted room, the sapphires making what appeared to be constellations but not ones that she was familiar with. Suddenly the room begun to spin making the knots in her stomach remove themselves causing her to vomit.

Thor chuckled, " You've been away too long! You'll grow accustomed to traveling by Bifrost again, don't fret."

He crouched down and patted her on the back in an attempt to soothe her. And while his ministrations were helping and did make her feel better, it also slightly made her feel patronized. When she finally stopped heaving Thor stood and she welcoming his open hand to help her up. He shone even more in the room than he did when she first met him. His armor had a ethereal shine that brightened up his face taking away some of his edge she'd noticed on Earth. He looked less intimidating now or maybe that was a trick to help her calm down, either way she was thankful for it. They strode out of the room to what she could very clearly identify as the rainbow bridge. It look just like the movies, a detail that mankind had not misinterpreted. They approached a man dress in golden armor who stood taller than Thor, which at that point she wasn't sure was possible.

He turned his head gracefully to look down at Thor, "The Allfather awaits your arrival in the palace Thor."

"Thank you Hiemdall. Does he know of what I bring back with me?"

"He does, but he is unaware of the form Prince Loki has taken. It would be wise of you to give him some notice," he turned away facing outward to the large golden city at the end of the bridge.

Thor nodded and gestured towards two horses that were waiting for them, "After you my lady."

Isabelle stared at the horses trying to figure out when it was best to mention that she did not know how to ride. She watched Thor easily mount his hoping maybe she could just watch and grasp the concept but this was definitely not the case. She attempted to swing herself just as gracefully into the saddle, or even just half that but wound up flat on her back with her foot caught in the stir up.

Thor's booming laughter filled the air surrounding them, "Oh brother, there are really some things you must brush up on."

He dismounted his horse and helped Isabelle climb onto hers. Growing up she had owned cats, dogs, lizards, mice, snakes, gerbils, hamsters, birds, you name it she probably had one but a horse was something she had never encountered. She'd seen them of course but only from a distance. She felt the horse shift underneath her, it was a power unlike anything she'd ever experienced. She could feel the muscle and ligaments pulling beneath her thighs and she watched as her thighs expanded ever so slightly every time the beast inhaled.

"Are you ready brother?"

She sighed, "You really have to stop calling me that."

Thor chuckled, "You will come to understand Isabelle."

She nodded and with a flick of the reins Thor was off. She mimicked the motion sending her horse flying off as well. She held on for dear life praying that she wouldn't be thrown off into the abyss below the bridge.

She gazed in wonder as they slowed when they reached the city gates. There were few words to describe how breathtakingly beautiful it was. She'd never seen anything like this in real life, only heard about it in story books; Asgard really was a place of fairy tales. She tried to take everything in as they rode on to the palace but got distracted when she noticed the plethora of guards waiting outside the palace gates.

"Are they here because of me?" she asked the worry apparent in her voice.

"Yes, they weren't sure what behavior to expect of Loki. Not that it would matter since he could trick them all into thinking they captured him while he disappeared off."

She gulped, "What are they going to do to me?"

"My lady, you have my word, I will not let you out of my sight."

As they reached the gates the guards began to close in on Isabelle. Panic rose in her throat but was quickly diminished when Thor dismissed them with a shake of his head. They rode on through and dismounted to walk the rest of the way. A beautiful, sprawling garden surrounded them filled with assorted flowers and plants, some of which were recognizable and some not. Golden sculptures dotted the landscape, Isabelle assumed that they were of notable gods and goddesses. They entered into a grand foyer where members of court stood idly talking amongst themselves but they silenced themselves and bowed at the Isabelle and the prince walked past. Hearing the muffled whispers behind her she grew self-conscious and walked closer to Thor.

They seemed to walk down and endless number of corridors before they stopped at and ornately decorated door that seemed to be depicting a battle scene. Thor halted so abruptly she almost ran into his back.

"Wait here while I go tell father the good news," he beamed. He really did believe that she was the vessel holding his brother. She just wanted to get this over with so she could go home and get back to her normal life. She caught a glimpse of the room behind the door just before it shut behind Thor. There was very plainly a large throne at the head of the room where a man with silver hair and beard sat. She paced as she eagerly waited not paying any mind to her surroundings. She jumped when she noticed three men and a woman standing not but ten feet from her.

"That's not Loki," the woman stated simply.

"So not let your eyes deceive you! He is a trickster and a shape changer. It could very well be him.," the tall blonde man retorted.

The shortest of the three men, a portly fellow with deep auburn hair and beard smiled a gargantuan smile and held out his arms to embrace Isabelle as he stepped towards her, "Regardless of whom she is or is not, we are being rude my comrades." He tucked her into a crushing embrace.

"I don't think she can breathe Volstagg," warned the woman.

"Oh, sorry my dear," he let go and held her by the shoulders, "Welcome to Asgard."

Isabelle instantly liked this man.

"That is Lady Sif, I am Volstagg. That is Fandral the Dashing and Hogun the Grim, we are the warriors three," he beamed, seeming proud that he was able to make their introduction. "And you are?"

"Isabelle," she couldn't help but smile with Volstagg, his happiness was quite contagious.

"You must be the girl that everyone is talking about, the embodiment of Loki?"

She shook her head, "I've been told that he resides in me. I'm more like a vessel."

A look of confusion washed over their faces. "I know, I'm just as confused as you. That's how Thor explained it to me, Loki resides inside of me. He brought me here to extract him."

The door to the throne room cracked open and Thor stepped outside, "My friends! You'll have to forgive me but I must introduce Isabelle to Odin. I shall find you later." Thor offered his arm and lead Isabelle into the throne room, she looked behind her before entering to be met with Volstagg's large grin. They were going to be friends she decided, she could use some of his good humor.

She faced forward and paused with Thor as he announced their arrival and waited to be welcomed forward. Odin gave an ominous nod and they proceeded forward. Isabelle's insides froze, she was about to stand before her god, the one she prayed to, the one Christianity had taught her bore a son that died on the cross. The thought was exciting but made her brain reel with thoughts of what else she had been lied to about. What else did humanity have wrong?

Thor took a knee in front of the throne and Isabelle followed suit unsure what else she was to do. She didn't lift her head until Odin spoke, "You are Isabelle of Midgard?"

"Earth," Thor whispered, answering her confusion.

"Yes your highness."

Odin chuckled and a slight smile crossed his lips, "Allfather is fine my dear. Please stand so I may look at you."

She stood once again self conscious of her appearance. Her Halloween costume was nothing compared to actual Asgardian clothing and armor. The only thing about her that resembled her surroundings was her scepter that she left laying on the ground next to her. Odin stared at her thoughtfully as if trying to assess as much information as he could without questioning her.

"You are nervous my dear, "he stated rather than asked.

She nodded timidly.

"There is no need, you are safe here, no one will harm you. I am curious though as to how you managed to acquire an Asgardian scepter without ever stepping foot her until now."

"That was my doing father, I was trying to convince her to come back home with me. I thought if she saw some of the magic she held inside she might understand."

Odin nodded," Fair enough. Your armor and clothing are reminiscent of my son."

"So I've been told, "she spoke a little too boldly.

"You understand why you're here?"

"Yes sir, to have Loki removed from myself so that he can live here with you again."

Odin nodded, "Yes my dear, but not today. That is quite a process and it takes time to prepare. We will start tomorrow after day break if you don't mind staying here a little time longer."

She nodded her head, she didn't really see how she had much of a choice.

"Very well then, I will see you when we dine later. Thor will show you to were you will stay while you spend time with us on Asgard."

And with that they were dismissed and Thor swept her out into the hallway again. They walked in silence through more corridors and passageways. Isabelle was thankful she was only staying here a night because she wasn't sure she could keep it straight if she stayed longer than that. The arrived at a large wooden door with ornate gripping beast knot work on the door. Thor opened the door for her and then stepped aside to allow her to walk in. The room was beyond anything she could have ever was decorated in the finest green and gold silks and satins. A large, dark, wooden four poster bed sat in the middle on the far wall a dark green blanket and various plush furs adorned the bed. A dressing table was set up against another wall opposite french doors that led out onto a balcony.

"Will this suit you?" Thor asked.

"Are you kidding me? This is the nicest place I've ever stayed in my life. It's beyond beautiful."

A wide grin spread across Thor's face, "Well, I shall let you get settled and then I'll come retrieve you for the evening feast."

The rest of the evening seemed to come and go in a blur. She found that even though the meal look positively amazing she just didn't feel like eating. Volstagg seemed the most bothered by this and questioned her most of the night. She just wanted to be home, this place was not somewhere she belonged and the more hours that past the more she felt it. She retired to her room after dinner instead of taking Thor's invitation to go riding with Sif, himself, and the Warriors Three. Once she returned to her room she found a linen shirt and retired to bed sleep easily washing over her.


	3. Chapter 3

Isabelle strained against the shackles holding her down to the cool metal table. They were just supposed to be holding her in place but it felt a little like they were trying to do more than just simply "hold her in place". A bright light shone above her head blinding her and she could hear muffled voices in the distance. "Begin," came a male voice that she didn't recognize. A sudden surge of electricity charged through her body making her entire being vibrate. She could feel something slithering underneath her and attaching itself to her back. Then the slithering started to come around her hips and just below her bra line, now she began to panic. This wasn't right, she was sure that whatever was on her most certainly wasn't supposed to be. She looked down to see delicate, leafless, vines growing around her hip bones and under her chest. She tried to find her voice to alert someone, anyone but no sound would come out. A pain had started in the middle of her back and a pressure in her chest. This is when she finally found her voice and cried out in agony and a vine ripped through her sternum and found it's way around her throat. She awoke gasping for air, clutching at the sheets, it was just a dream she told herself, just a dream. She swung her feet off the edge of the bed and gingerly stood up making sure she had her balance. She meandered over to the balcony and stepped outside, the lavender and rose of the beginning sunrise greeting her. She inhaled deep and took in the air and smell of flowers from the garden below. A small part of her wanted to stay just for the fresh air alone, maybe that would prompt her to exercise more. She sighed, there was no point in trying to lay down again especially after that dream. She walked back to the dressing table chair where she had laid out her costume the night before. It had gotten more use out of it that she had ever imagined it would, she chuckled to herself, all she thought it would get was a convention or two but it got Asgard.

She just finished tucking her wild hair under her helm when a knock at the door interrupted her from her reverie, "Come in."

Thor walked just inside the door, "Are you ready my lady?"

She straightened her back and threw back her shoulders, "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose."

He nodded, "You may leave your helm and scepter here, you won't be needing them."

She nodded but was reluctant to leave them, they had become somewhat of security blankets while she was here. She set them down on the foot of the bed and followed Thor out into the hallway and down yet another set of corridors she was sure she had seen before which was later confirmed when they past the throne room with it's door open. It was unsettling to her that she might know this place better than she thought because even it's all of it's beauty she wasn't sure she wanted to remember Asgard when this was done. They took one last turn down a hallway with a single door at the end, Thor paused to open it for her and let her pass through the threshold first.

The first thing she noticed were two guerney's off to her left the second thing, was the large golden orb much like the blue one at the end of her scepter, that hung above the room. On a larger scale the orb looked like it was full of a golden liquid mixed with crafting glitter, the liquid swirling inside like an ocean.

Odin appeared and rested a hand on her shoulder, "Are you ready Isabelle?"

"Yes Allfather."

He gestured towards a chamber maid who took her behind dressing screen and helped her out of her costume and into a linen shirt similar to the one she slept in the night before and fitted cloth pants that resembled jeans. She walked back out barefoot and though entirely clothed more exposed than ever.

"Stand in the middle, under the orb."

She did as she was told and walked to the center of the room. The floor lit up under her feet when she arrived at the middle casting a glow around her ankles. Her stomach started to turn as her nerves set in, something didn't feel quite right.

"Do not fret my dear it will be alright. You would be surprised how frequently we do this," he tried to ease her panic but it was still evident on her face. The fact was they had never done this before and Odin quietly hoped that no harm would come to the young woman who stood before them.

"We're going to begin now."

It was Odin, the voice in the dream was Odin. She went to say stop but she was already floating mid air under the orb and Odin was saying something in a language she didn't recognize. A warmth spread over her body like she was sitting in a bath and a floral scent filled her nose, maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as she thought. She relaxed and let her arms hang by her sides allowing the warmth to further wash over her.

Thor smiled, it looked like it was working. Odin showed nothing but concentration on his face taking special care to not harm a single hair on this girls head. Her obivous relaxation was a good sign. He continued to mumble his chant, coaxing Loki from the mortal when suddenly it felt like he hit a stone wall. Isabelle's eyes flew open, she felt like she was choking. She grasped at her throat and kicked at the air, why was she choking, this shouldn't be happening.

Odin hid the fear that was threatening to take him over and continued with his chant saying the words louder with every repetition. Isabelle continued to choke on thin air pleading with her eyes for Odin to stop, this wasn't going to end well, she felt like she was going to die.

"Father, something is wrong," it was the first time Isabelle had hear Thor's voice waiver since she'd met him. When the god of thunder stopped being thunderous it made her panic even further.

"Hold still child!" Odin called out to Isabelle but she couldn't. Her natural instinct told her to struggle, to fight for her life. "Hold still child!" he called again.

Suddenly she could not move, her body felt stiff, her muscles tightened almost to the point where it felt like they might crush her bones. Not being able to move was more painful than moving was. Her voice was gone just like the dream she tried pleading with her eyes for Odin to stop but he continued on.

"He said to hold still."

The voice in her head chilled her core, it terrified her. She moved her eyes to where Thor and Odin stood trying to gauge if they had heard it to.

"No," said the voice answering her silent question, "It's just you and me."

She was terrified and even though she couldn't speak tears were still rolling down her cheeks. Between the pain and the fear there was no way to stop them.

"Oh, don't be frightened. You'll be fine when this is all done with, it's just going to hurt. You are removing a full grown man from your body after all."

Her muscles unfroze and she curled up in pain. A horrible scream escaped her lungs as she twisted in complete agony. This was the worst pain she had ever known. Her body felt like it was burning and she heard her bones creak, threatening to break under the continued pressure of her muscles. She prayed that any second she would pass out from the pain but she never did. And then she felt it, the slithering on her back, but the slithering turned to burning, like her skin was being branded. She cursed in every language she knew as she continued to hover in the middle of the room. Why weren't they stopping? It was very plainly obvious that she was in a pain that no human should ever have to experience. The burning moved around her body, over her hips and under her breasts, she could almost swear she smelled her skin burning beneath her clothes. She knew what came next, the vine through her sternum, it would kill her. This was the end, she was going to die. Ironically, she'd already be in heaven.

A sick laughter rang in her head, "You are not going to die. I won't let you."

Her breath hitched and a pale hand shot through her chest. She was too stunned to move she just stared at it. It was a beautiful hand with it's nearly alabaster skin and long delicate fingers. It was mesmerizing and had she not felt like her body was broken into thousands of pieces she might have tried to hold it for comfort.

"Loki! Stop fighting me!"

Odin's voice brought her back to the excruciating pain she had momentarily escaped. She stared at the hand again and it recoiled back inside her body and amazingly there was no harm to her chest. Her body burned and twisted and she found her words again and screamed and begged Odin to stop even though she knew he couldn't. Just as she felt she was on the brink of death she was lurched forward face down onto the floor. She couldn't move, she felt like her spine had been ripped out. She let her tears flow freely not caring if it made her appear weaker than those surrounding her, there was too much agony for her to care.

The chamber maid brought a gurney over to her and Thor gingerly lifted her onto it.

"Did you get him?" she whimpered.

Thor nodded and pointed his eyes to the other side of the room where Odin was hovering over his youngest son.

"Good." The chamber maid gave her a blue powder to slip under her tongue and before she knew it she was off to dream land her aches and pains long forgotten. Thor made sure they were long out of the room before he joined his father at his brother's side.

Loki swatted them away, "Leave me be, I'm fine it's just a small cut." It was in fact not a small cut but a large gash that ran down the length of his forearm.

"How did that happen," asked Thor.

"That girl caught my arm when I was exiting her body."

"You need to go to the healing room," Odin insisted.

"I'm fine, really."

"It wasn't a request."

Loki rolled his eyes and stood dismissing the chamber maid with the second gurney, they could at least give him the courtesy of walking.

"It's good to have you home son," Odin called after them.

"I'm glad to be home," he admitted reluctantly. He'd spent so long on Midgard that he was convinced that they intended to leave him down there. Even though he had given them quite a run for their money in removing him from Isabelle he was thankful they did. He longed to feel the Asgard sun on his face and go roaming through the gardens. He and his brother silently walked the halls of the palace to the healing room. There really wasn't much to say, they weren't ones to show emotion in public he knew later though that Thor would find him wandering the grounds and then they would embrace and catch up.

They walked into the healing room where maids were busy fussing over a knocked out Isabelle. Loki caught glimpses of her between the nurses as they moved around.

"Is that her?" Loki asked.

Thor nodded, "Yes, she's quite brave."

Loki huffed, "Brave? What brave woman screams like that when in pain."

"Oh come brother, you probably would have yelled just as much. Can you blame her?"

"No, you're right. She's quite beautiful in a strange way."

Thor chuckled, "Yes she is."

The maids caught the brothers looking and moved the privacy shade in their path. Loki rolled his eyes and walked to an empty bed. He grimaced as he removed his shirt although he was thankful that he'd popped out of Isabelle relatively clothed even if it wasn't his usual regalia. He shuddered at the embarrassment he would have had to encounter should he have appeared naked in front of his father. He was pulled out of his thoughts when one of the maids attending to Isabelle let out a loud shriek. The maid attending to Loki quickly bandaged the arm and then rushed to Isabelle's side.

They had rolled her on her stomach and removed her shirt to reveal a plethora of ancient markings and intricate knotting on her back. The nurses covered Isabelle to maintain modesty and stepped back as the brother's approached. Thor studied the markings with a knitted brow, "What is this?"

Loki smirked as he traced his fingers across the dark green lines. Thor directed his attention to his brother repeating his question and waited for a reply from Loki.

"Magic brother."

"I do not understand."

Loki continued to trace the delicate patterns, "When you forcibly removed me from her I marked her."

"With what?"

"Magic."

"What does that mean?" Thor asked growing frustrated.

'It's nothing she didn't already have. She had all of my magical capabilities because I lived inside of her why take that away from her? She still retains them but I now get to run freely through Asgard."

Thor was stunned, Odin was going to kill him. You never place godly powers in a human without his permission. He was going to throw Loki out again and just after he'd gotten him back.

"We have to tell father."

"I'm aware."

"We have to tell her."

"I had intended to. Did you think I wasn't aware of these things? I'm not daft brother, reckless yes, but surely not daft."

Thor shook his head, "Don't tell father yet, wait till after the last meal and then speak to him."

Loki nodded and watched as Thor stepped away, "Are you not coming?"

"No, I think I shall sit with her until she wakes up."

Several hours passed before Isabelle made any kind of movement. She could feel herself gradually floating out of her slumber feeling a little more hazy than normal. She wiggled her fingers and toes before gradually moving up her body to make sure that everything was as it should be, no broken bones, no missing limbs. Her muscles felt like she'd endured an extreme work out but other than that she felt perfectly fine. She carefully sat up adjusting the linen shirt so that it sat correctly on her torso. She scanned the room stopping when she looked eyes with a dark haired man sitting in a chair in the corner next to her. He smiled an impish grin. Suddenly self conscious about her appearance she wrapped the sheet around her tighter.

"Hello Isabelle," his voice was smooth and cold making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He rose to his feet and walked towards her never once breaking eye contact.

"Who are you?" she almost whispered.

"You don't recognize me?" He feigned hurt.

Then it struck her, "Loki." Rage began to boil her blood this was all his fault, he's the one who was to blame for all of this.

"You look mad."

"I'm furious."

"Don't be upset with me, I'm not the one who forced me out of you."

"No, you're not but you are the one who fought against it!"

"You shouldn't be shouting, you need your rest," and with a flick of his wrist she was flat on her back on the bed. She tried struggling but her arms and legs were pinned just like before. "Don't struggle you'll only hurt yourself again."

"I'm going to kill you," she seethed.

"You will do no such thing. You and I are actually going to become quite good friends, you just don't know it yet."

His confidence made her all the more angry and she cried out in frustration.

"I'm going to meet my father and tell him what I've done, I'll find you later."

"You would be better off if you didn't."

"You forget my dear, I'm the god in the room," and with that he sashayed out the door. She tried moving to chase him down the hall but she was still pinned. She was going to speak to Odin himself if she had to, he was going to pay. You don't just get to torture a human being and walk away scott free, not on earth anyway. She resigned trying to escape the invisible restraints that held her to the bed. She stared absently at the pale blue ceiling of the healing room, it reminded her of a nursery school. The pale blues and creams soothed her reliving her of her anger. She tried to close her eyes and sleep but all she could do was stare at the back of her eyelids. What was Loki going to tell Odin, she wondered. She hoped that he was being punished for his misdeeds but she doubted it since they had worked so hard to get him back.

"You did what?" Odin shouted.

Loki slouched in front of the Allfather, "I know it's forbidden but I felt such a draw to this girl. There's something about her I can't explain."

Odin sighed, "She must prove herself worthy or you shall both be banished from Asgard and she will die before her time."

Thor and Loki's faces both dropped in horror. Loki didn't mean for her to receive such a fate, it was honestly one of his harmless pranks he hasn't meant to send her to death.

"Father, why? She has done nothing, this was all Loki's doing," exclaimed Thor.

"It is done. She will prove herself worthy before the end of the seven days or an early death will come to her."

The brothers gaped in horror, she was a harmless human being, she'd done nothing to deserve this. Loki spun on his heal and stormed out of the throne room. Despite his trickery and lies he was no killer. Thor stayed and pleaded with his father, "This is not right, we don't kill father."

"My dear son, I have no doubt that this woman is as extraordinary as Loki seems to think she is. She must be or he wouldn't have given her the power in the first place. He is well aware of the consequences of his actions. It is up to him to now to see that she is well off. You and I both know he's not as cold as he pretends to be."

Thor sighed, "But what if he is?"

"Then the human shall suffer."

It didn't feel right to Thor but he knew that everything that his father did had a purpose evenif he didn't see it right away. He bowed and walked out in search of his brother. he knew where to find him, it was where he always went to think.

The garden on the garden on west of the palace was Loki's favorite place to walk and think to himself. There were plenty of trees and large shrubbery to conceal him from anyone looking to search him out, everyone but Thor. He had learned long ago that this is where his youngest brother liked to hide from the world around him. Thor strode out to the edge of the labyrinth that was the west gardens and called out to his brother hoping he would just answer him instead of him having to hunt Loki down. He wasn't surprised when Loki did not answer him and he set off at a slow run to find his brother, not that Loki wanted to be found particularly at this time. He wished he could just be alone to think this through. taking care of a human was nothing something he wanted to do at this point in time. How was he supposed to make her worthy anyhow? Father could be so vague sometimes in his instruction. He walked slowly knowing that soon enough Thor would catch up to him and want to devise a plan to save the mortal.

He stopped when he heard Thor's footsteps approaching. He rolled his eyes, here came his brother, ever the hero.

"Brother, what do we do?"

Loki shook his head, he didn't have the answer to this, "Leave her be. We don't have anything invested in her."

"You cursed her with this!"

"I'm aware, but I have no connection with her."

"You have years of Midgard connection with her. That should be more than enough. You owe her this."

"I wouldn't owe her anything if you and father hadn't come looking for me. I was perfectly content with where I was and she didn't know the difference until you came bolting from the sky!"

"Fix this brother, this is your doing."

Deep down Loki knew that he couldn't blame his brother for his actions. He's the one that bestowed power upon the mortal and now he was going to have to suffer for it.

"Fine, but only if you'll help. I'm no good with physical battle, teach her that at least. I'll teach her of the powers I've given her."

Thor nodded it seemed fair enough, he just hoped it would be enough for father.


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all thank you everyone who has read and commented so far! Also a special thanks to PhantomPrussia, ChoiceorDestiny, LilMissM, and Princess Morrosa for following my story. It really means a lot that you want to keep up with my writing. I'm really bad at remembering to write author's notes at the beginning of the chapter sorry about that. We finally got Loki woo hoo! It took three chapters but he's finally there. I know the story has gotten off to kind of a slow start but it will start to pick up speed in the next few chapters so please bear with me. Thanks again for reading, BlueBlack337**

Isabelle assumed morning had arrived when a chamber maid came to check on her bringing her costume with her. She was thankful to have the familiarity of the clothing she had made back on her body. She sighed and rolled the stiffness from her shoulders and neck and set off to the dining hall where she hoped breakfast was being served. She was almost desperately hungry since she hadn't eaten in almost two days. Her stomach growled rather audible as she walked through the empty corridors. She heard a deep chuckle behind her, one she was all to familiar with. She turned to find Thor walking behind her attempting to hide his snickering behind his hand.

"Please, if you know a faster way there lead the way," she stepped aside to let him lead the way.

He walked forward so he stood next to her and offered his arm, "My lady."

She rolled her eyes and looped her arm through his. It never ceased to amaze her how large he was, it surprised her every time. She was sure that if his powers got taken away he would still be able to kick some ass.

"If it is alright with your father I would like to go home soon."

Thor inwardly rolled his eyes, Loki hadn't told her yet or even attempted to confront her about her present situation, "Are you sure you wish to leave so soon? Why not stay here and enjoy Asgard for a while."

"I've been through quite a lot in the past couple of days-"

"Day."

"No it's been days," she said firmly.

"Here it has been days but time passes by faster here than on Midgard. Barely a day has past since you and I left your home."

At least he was finally admitting that Earth was her home, "Day, days, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I've been through things I'm pretty sure no one else in the general population will ever have to go through and I would like to go home."

"Would you return after you rested?"

Isabelle scoffed, "No, never. I really have no need to come back here now that you have your brother back."

Thor sighed and looked straight ahead trying to figure out the best way to tell her. He looked down at her to find her watching him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing that need be discussed now. Let us eat first and then we shall talk on the way to the Bifrost."

"Or you could just tell me know and save us a step," she prodded.

Thor grimaced and shook his head, "You really should wait."

Isabelle stopped in the middle of the corridor, "What are you hiding?"

He'd been caught, he was never very good at keeping secrets, that was Loki's job. "You can't return home."

Isabelle stuck her fists on her hips and stamped her foot, "Why the hell not?" she shouted.

"Loki can explain it better. Come, we will eat and then talk after the meal." He could already tell that, that answer was not going to pacify her in the least. Loki really should be the one breaking the news to Isabelle not him, especially since this was his doing in the first place. He could see the anger rising in her face and he knew he was going to have to say something soon or the whole palace would know of Loki's mistake. "Come with me, " he surrendered.

"No! Tell me what's going on!"

"I will, we cannot speak of it here though. Come with me."

Isabelle reluctantly followed him as he lead her behind of series of doors and into what appeared to be a study maybe a library of some sort. Leather bound books lined the walls from floor to ceiling on all but one wall where a large stone fireplace stood. It wasn't lit but she could imagine the warmth it emanated. Had she not be so furious she would have explored the room further, "Tell me."

"When Loki was removed from you he imprinted you with magic."

"What does that mean?"

"He shared his power with you. Unfortunately that is forbidden by Odin unless he, himself bestows power upon a mortal."

"Okay so I can magically fold my clothes now so what, that doesn't exactly tell me why I can't go home," she was getting impatient.

"Loki has broken the rules and now he must suffer the consequences however, so must you," he watched her carefully trying to gauge her reaction. He wasn't sure what it meant when she remained silent so he continued, "Loki must prove you worthy of your powers within seven days time or Odin will shorten your life span."

She could feel the color drain from her face and stood gaping at Thor for a moment hopelessly trying to find her words.

"I'm sorry Isabelle, this is not how I wanted to have this discussion."

She shook her head firmly, "No."

Thor cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"No, this is a joke or I'm on drugs or something. This isn't feasible! I'm a bartender with a cat and a boyfriend and a hippie for a mom. I'm not some magical being, I can't be!"

Thor was at a loss, usually he was good a cheering people up but this time he knew was different. He couldn't exactly expect her to just be okay with everything and he knew that but she had to accept her fate and quickly since time was running out. "I'm sorry Isabelle but this is the way things are now. I know this is not what you want, you made that blatantly known from the moment I met you however, Odin's orders cannot be undone."

She sank to the floor and hopelessness began to sink in. In a matter of hours her who life perspective had been changed, she'd been corrected about her religion, been a vessel for a god, given magical powers that she didn't even know how to use, and now she was going to die because of all this. Angry tears sprang to her eyes as she inwardly denounced any kind of deity from her life. She refused to believe that any god would minimize her life span because one of their sons made a mistake. None of this was even her fault and she was having to pay for it. Thor crouched down in front of her, concern deeply etched into his face. There had to be something he could do, he couldn't just stand idly by while his brother completely altered this girls life.

She finally looked up at Thor, her upper lip quivering, "Why am I being punished for something that isn't even my fault?"

Thor shook his head, "I don't know. I sincerely wish I had a better answer."

"It's not fair," she whispered.

"I know."

She couldn't move so she just sat and Thor didn't seem to mind not that, at the time, she cared much anyway. Her skin felt sore where she'd felt the burning sensation yesterday and she idly rubbed her shoulders where she could reach. The skin felt raw under her clothing and she made a mental note that when she got home to have Thomas rub her back with her favorite pomegranate lotion. Home, that's where she needed to be right now regardless of what the gods thought.

She stared up from her hands, "I need to go home."

"Isabelle-"

She held up a hand cutting him off, "If I'm going to stay here there are some things I need to take care of at home first."

Thor sighed with relief, "I understand, come let us feast before you leave."

She shook her head, "I should leave as soon as possible, I only have seven days remember? Your father wasn't specific on what kind of days, earth or Asgardian."

"Right, let us get you to the Bifrost."

He helped her from the floor and led her back out the doors from which they came. Thor looked nervously around the hall trying to make sure his brother wasn't anywhere in sight, he wasn't so sure that it would be beneficial for Isabelle at this point to see him. Had she even discovered the markings on her back? It was just one more thing for her to deal with if she hadn't yet. He stopped a young man and requested that he retrieve the horses. When they emerged from the castle the sun blinded Isabelle, and the wind whipped through her wavy hair. She inhaled deeply relishing the clean air and ever constant floral smell; maybe being here would have some perks. She was caught off guard when Thor suddenly stopped in front her her. Before them at the foot of the palace steps Loki was dismounting a large, midnight black, stallion. Thor visibly tensed with anticipation of the impending confrontation. He glanced over to Isabelle to see her glowering behind him and was instantly thankful that she didn't know how to use any of the powers she'd been given.

"Where are you two heading?" Loki asked a mischievous glint in his eye.

"The Bifrost brother, Isabelle is going to return home."

"Hmm, you're not going to stay with us then," he knew Thor had told her, it was plainly written all over both of their faces. Even if it hadn't been he'd already intruded into Isabelle's mind to find out what she was thinking.

"Not for now," she growled.

Loki seemed amused, did this mortal really think that she had the ability to take him on? She didn't even know how to use any of the power she'd been given anyway and even if she had it's not like she posed much of a threat. She would be nothing against his centuries of experience.

"Well then, have a safe trip," he bowed and chuckled quietly. He was mostly apathetic about this human with the exception of a small part of him that was drawn to her, he shrugged it off since he's lived in here practically since she was born. He'd never had to meet the person he possessed before know, so this attraction was a foreign feeling to him; he never much cared for anyone but his parents and Thor. He turned to watch them walk off into the distance and a twinge of guilt passed through him. What if she died, what is she wasn't able to meet up to Odin's standards? He watched her long hair sail behind her and they soared away on their horses towards the Bifrost. He shook his head, what happened to her wasn't his concern, there were plenty of other mortals on Midgard, they wouldn't miss it if they lost one.

—

Vomit rose into her throat as she gained her bearings and tried to stand. She kept trying to fight the urge to vomit but lost, "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

"You will," assured her.

There they were standing in the parking lot of her complex just as they had a day and a half ago. It looked so different to her now and the smell was absolutely wretched compared to Asgard. She wrinkled her nose trying to get herself re-acclimated but to no avail, she could even smell the litter box in her apartment all the way in the parking lot.

Thor could see her struggling with her new senses, "That will also be something you'll have to get used to. You're a demigod now so your senses are heightened but my brother and I shall teach you of your new powers once you return."

She scoffed, "I would rather not have to deal with Loki if you don't mind."

"I know, but he is the only one who can teach you to use your magic."

She sighed staring up at the gray brick building in front of her. Despite the pink, orange, lavender, and blue of the sunrise her surroundings looked so drab but anything would look drab against the castle on Asgard she decided.

She turned to Thor and stuck her hand out to shake it, "I suppose I can find my way back from here."

He grabbed her into a crushing embrace and sent her on her way, "Call out for Heimdall when you're ready for your return. He will be waiting."

She nodded and headed up to her apartment hoping that Thomas or one of her friends would be home since she'd neglected to bring her keys. She didn't want to have to sit in the hall and take on the stares of her neighbors, she was still clothed in her Halloween costume after all. She dragged herself up the flight of stairs to the second floor and tried her door knob thankful that it was still unlocked. Her cat greeted her at the door and twirled herself between her legs. She smiled, the small greeting was the most comforting thing at the moment. She carefully walked into her living room to find Thomas and Lily sleeping on opposite ends of the couch, David was out on the patio smoking a cigarette. Thankfully no one had noticed she was back yet, she didn't want to answer the barrage of questions she knew would happen she just needed some peace and quiet. She walked into her bedroom her cat on her heels and sat at the foot of the bed and started to change into her pajamas. The cotton pants and tank top felt like practically nothing since she'd been gallivanting around in armor and leather for what seemed like weeks. She idly pet the cat and stared at the wall, Thor's words, 'You are a demigod' were starting to sink in. She laughed inwardly at herself, at least her parents couldn't ever say she never accomplished anything. She wasn't sure she would ever be allowed to tell them anyway.

David's presence in the doorway pulled her from her thoughts," You're back and in one piece. Do you want me to wake them up?"

She shook her head, "No, let them sleep." She cast her eyes to the floor as her thoughts wandered back to her inevitable return to Asgard. Taking on the task of learning her strengths as a demigod was something she would rather avoid but she also wanted to live as a long and healthy life as she could. How many days did she have now? She'd only been home for thirty minutes but an hour has passed on Asgard. Had she just lost an hour, or thirty minutes?

"What's wrong?"

She snapped her head up to look at him. She thought her lie carefully even though he would probably see through it anyway, she had always been horrible at lying, "I'm just calculating."

"Calculating or making plans?" David smiled at her knowingly.

She smiled, "Is it that obvious?"

"Darlin' we've played poker together, you're a horrible liar."

She laughed and flopped backwards on the bed, "I have to go back. I'm making a list of things I've got to take care of before I leave."

"Why?"

She sighed heavily, "Because I've been cursed I guess you could call it."

David nodded and watched her, asking no further questions, he didn't really feel the need to pry anyway.

"I should wake him up, I have to go back soon." David nodded and moved out of her way as she wandered back into the living room. Thomas slept on the couch in what appeared to be the most uncomfortable position, one arm flung over the couch supporting his head the other snaked between his legs. Isabelle sat down carefully as to not wake Lilly and gently roused Thomas. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and beamed at her, "You're home." She started to tear up without warning and flung her arms around him clinging to him for dear life. Wordlessly he stroked her hair and rocked to soothe her. Lilly was awake now, sitting on the other end of the sofa watching the pair rock back and forth. She explained everything to the three both her rants and raves. How she wished they could see Asgard in all it's beauty and how horrible the God of Mischief actually was.

"So you're a demigod now?" Lilly asked checking to make sure she'd followed the story correctly.

Isabelle nodded, "And if I don't go back I'll die before my time, whatever that's supposed to mean."

"That's fucking terrible! Who does that?" Lilly was now shouting.

"Odin."

"But it was his son's fault!-"

Isabelle stopped her, "I know, trust me I've been through this already. Thor assures me though that everything will be fine."

"So now what?" Thomas' voice quivered. He didn't want her to go back but he didn't want her to suffer an early death either. The whole situation was something that he wasn't sure he could handle, and what would happen once the week was up? Would she have to stay in Asgard? They couldn't possibly let her come back and live on Earth again.

"I'll go back to Asgard and prove myself worthy of my life. I'll have to call the bar and lie I guess. I can't exactly say 'hey I need a few days off so I can go train to be a goddess'."

"I'll call," Lilly offered, "I'll tell them someone in your family had an accident overseas and you had to leave the country in the middle of the night or something, I don't know, I'll make it up as I go."

Isabelle nodded and got up to finish the remainder of the things that needed to be taken care of before she went back. At least Thomas lived with her so she knew her cat and apartment would be looked after. She wrote out scripts for her friends to say should her parents, siblings, or other friends called her. She walked back into her room and sneered at the costume in a rumpled heap on the floor wishing she had something else she could wear, something more comfortable than leather and heavy fabric. Thomas came in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist pressing as much of himself as he could to her back.

"May I help you dress my goddess?"

She giggled and rolled her eyes, "I suppose."

He grinned and kissed her neck his fingers danced around the waistband of her pants. He licked the tender flesh below her ear and snaked his hand down her pants skimming his hand across her pussy.

"That's not helping me undress," she tutted smiling.

He chuckled deep in his throat and bunched the hem of her t-shirt and slowly lifted it only breaking contact with her neck to lift it off. His eyes grew wide with concern as he took in the deep emerald markings that covered her back, "What happened?"

Isabelle turned to him confusion etched all over her face, "What do you mean?"

"There are markings all over your back, almost like a tattoo. What is it?"

Her eyes widened in horror and she rushed over to her full length mirror to investigate. She discovered that not only did they cover the entirety of her back but they also ran up and over her hips, under her breasts and, over her sternum. How had she missed them when she was changing earlier? The horror on her face deepened and she began to cry again. Thomas ran into the bathroom and grabbed a soapy cloth, "Maybe we can scrub them off." He leaned down and tried in vain to remove the marks from Isabelle's skin but only making the marks inflamed. She silently cried and moved his hand away, they weren't ever going to come off she knew that.

"Izzy?"

"It happened when they removed Loki from me, he marked me. That bastard ruined me!" Sobs overtook her body as her earlier anger with the God of Mischief set in again. Thomas went to wrap his arms around her again but she shook him away. "Don't, not now. Just let me be," she mumbled. He sat back on his haunches watching the sobs roll through his girlfriends body wishing that there was something he could do but he knew he couldn't take away what had happened to her, the things she'd seen and been through, it would never go away for her. She kept trying to control herself but every time she did she just cried harder. Eventually she gave up and continued to cry and dressed herself at the same time, Thomas helping her balance here and there. She walked back out into the living room and pet her cat and hugged and kissed Thomas.

"Please be careful," he wiped the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks. All she could do was nod and hug him again. His body felt so strange when she hugged him, her foam and plastic armor preventing her from being as close to him as she would like.

She walked back out into the parking lot and stared at the symbol etched into the concrete, the symbol that marked where the Bifrost had dropped her only an hour ago. She glared at it wishing she could set it ablaze with her eyes, a trick she wanted to learn when she returned.

"Heimdall!" she shouted, "Take me back!" And just like all the other times before she was sucked up into the sky and sent hurtling towards Asgard.

Her landing in the gold room was slightly more graceful but she still felt as sick. She knelt and swallowed back the vomit trying to escape her, she would not be weak about this anymore. Heimdall stood waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.

She glared up at him, "Where is Thor?"

"He's waiting outside with your horse Princess."

She scrunched her face at the word 'princess' and walked past him, "I'm not a Princess, Heimdall."

"Not yet."

She ignored the watcher and clambered onto her horse while Thor held the reigns for her, "Shall we? I assume we have a lot to do and not a lot of time."

"Yes, quite a bit. We have to prepare you for the tournament to be held where you will prove yourself and then the ball in a few days time."

"Ball?"

"Yes, it's a gathering of the royal family's friends and honored guests. There will be dancing and some of the most glorious food you've ever tasted."

"I know what a ball is Thor, but why?"

"To honor the return of Loki and to welcome you as a new Princess of Asgard."

She stopped her horse, "I was gone for only a few hours! I was a human when I got here, a demigod when I left and now, I come back and I'm a princess! What is going on?"

"Loki marked you with part of himself and Odin says that makes you a princess. To be honest, I do not quite grasp the concept myself but it's my father's wish and it means I get a sister!" Thor was way more jubilant than Isabelle about her new title. She rolled her eyes and kicked the sides of her horse sending it into a full gallop down the rainbow bridge.

They trotted to the steps of the palace and strode in, "You will do combat training with me and Lady Sif after we get you settled and changed into something less constricting then we'll have the evening meal and afterward Loki will instruct you in some magic."

"Do I really have to deal with him?"

"He gave you magic and he's the only one here that possess it, it's up to him. I am sorry, I know you are rather angry with him."

"That's quite an understatement."

He continued informing her of her schedule that would happen over the next few days as if he hadn't heard her, "Starting tomorrow morning you will train with Loki after the morning meal and then after the midday meal you will train with Lady Sif and I again and then again with Loki in the evenings." She said nothing but Thor knew she agreed, even though she didn't have a choice in the matter really.

He walked her to the chamber that she had already stayed in leaving her to change into clothes better suited for battle practice. She plucked a linen shirt and leather pants from the large wardrobe changing quickly while Thor waited outside the door for her. She quickly braided her hair down her back and secured it with a leather string and walked out to meet Thor. He nodded with approval before taking her out to the far gardens where Lady Sif was already waiting for them.

The practice with Thor and Sif was tiring since it was the most physical activity she'd gotten in months. More than once she felt like she was going to pass out form exhaustion but she pushed through to keep from embarrassing herself in front of the gods. The evening meal came around and she found herself being flagged down by Volstagg.

"Come here child!"

She walked over to where he sat. He scooted over on the bench to make room for her, "Here, please sit." She smiled as his joy radiated off of him. "It's good to see you returned dear, how was this afternoon? They did go easy on you on your first day I hope."

Isabelle grinned, "No, thankfully not or I would be getting nowhere. The tournament is only three days after the ball."

"Ah yes the ball. I shall require a dance from you, you know, " he winked.

"I would be honored."

"Well it's settled then!" he shouted causing others in the hall to stare. Her cheeks flushed at the sudden attention but she was quickly forgotten when the princes walked into the hall. Everyone stood on their feet and waiting for them to sit. Thor joined Isabelle and the other warriors and Loki sat at the opposite end of the table ample space between himself and the guard next to him.

"I will never understand why your brother distances himself," Volstagg commented to Thor.

"Neither will I."

"Your silver tongue won't lose its luster if you come talk with us Loki!" Volstagg shouted across the table. Isabelle could feel herself shrinking next to him, she just wanted to eat and get her lesson over with so she could be alone.

Loki glared in the direction of the warriors, "I do believe the new Princess," he hissed the word, "Would rather I spend as much time away from her as possible." They all looked to her for confirmation, she just shrugged in response unsure how to answer their wordless question. Loki huffed and ate the rest of his meal in silence. Thor bragged of Isabelle's great skill despite her never having fought in combat before and Sif complemented her on her grace even when she took more than a couple tumbles. The meal was full of stories but Isabelle could still feel an icy awkwardness emanating from Loki and more than once caught him glancing in her direction. The meal ended too quickly for her liking and she was barely out of her seat before Loki was next to her.

"I don't like this any more than you do."

At least the feeling was mutual. She watched him glide off with inhuman grace and she stomped after him. She had to move at a slow run to keep up with his long legs as he strode through the palace. He took her out into the gardens and stopped.

"What happened to 'we're going to be good friends you just don't know it yet'?" she taunted.

He whipped around to face her, getting alarmingly close, "That was before Odin gave you a death sentence and Thor took pity on you. Now you are a pest that I must teach because my brother insists that you shouldn't be punished for my misdoings."

"Why are you mad with me? You are the one that is responsible for my death sentence and you marked my skin permanently!"

"Oh yes those, a necessary side effect. Those markings say something about the ability to do magic even though you're a human or something of that sort. It is your source of power learn to embrace them my dear."

"Embrace them?" she shouted, "I never wanted them! Why would you do this to me?"

He grabbed her by her throat and she grasped at his hand in panic, "It would be wise of you to stop shouting at me. I can kill you myself you know. And your shouting isn't going to solve your problem so you might as well accept it and move on." He released her and she dropped to the ground gasping for air. "Let's begin shall we?"

She stood up and faced him, he stood in front of her his hands, palms up, by his sides. He closed his eyes and a blue ball of light appeared in the palms of his hands. Isabelle shifted nervously from foot to foot and continued to watch at the balls grew in size. Once they were about the size of a grapefruit Loki raised hands, his arms bend in a perfect ninety degree angle.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked saying nothing and without warning thrust his hands forward shooting to balls of light at her. She flew backwards landing flat on her ass in some shrubbery roughly twenty feet from where Loki stood. She stood quickly not caring to brush herself off since there were two more balls growing in his hands.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"Such language from a princess! Mind your manners dear and defend yourself while you're at it," and with that he flung two more orbs at her knocking her over again.

"Stop!"

"Defend yourself!"

"I don't know how! You're supposed to be teaching me!"

"You have the power use it!" and two more hit her in the chest.

"I don't know how!"

He stopped, "You do, every magical being knows how it is just a matter of learning to use it. Now, defend yourself."

She stood again and began to stomp back towards him. He shot two more balls at her knocking her down again.

"I will not stop until you stop me."

Steam would have been spouting from her ears by then if it was possible. She shouted in frustration.

"Go ahead, get angry, that won't stop me though," and he thrust two more at her knocking her down again. She didn't bother getting up this time she just stayed where she was, hot, angry tears threatening to fall down her face. "Get up."

"No."

"Don't pout like a child, get up."

"No. You can't hit me while I'm down."

"Oh, I can, and I shall if you do not get on your feet."

She pretended like she hadn't heard him and focused her eyes on the night sky above her. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her grabbing her at her waist and hoisting her to her feet.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she kicked and shouted in protest.

"I'm stronger than I look. Now," he glared at her, "For the love of the gods, please stop acting like a child and defend yourself."

He walked back to his original place and let the magic rise in his hands. Isabelle made no move to look even slightly interested in what was going on. Maybe if she didn't do anything he would stop, sadly, she realized she was wrong when two more blue spheres pelted her. She rose to her feet quickly this time, he wasn't going to stop and if she didn't want her ass to be black and blue tomorrow she needed to stop him. She watched two more orbs growing in his palms and rage grew within her, he was hurting her and he didn't care. That selfish asshole had done nothing but hurt her and he hadn't shown any sign of remorse or care since. She saw his arms recoil and push the orbs towards her; it felt like time slowed. She could see them hurtling towards her, making the air around them glow a pale cobalt. She raised her hands in front of her defensively just before they reached her.

"Stop!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact of her hitting the ground but it never came. She opened them one by one to see the balls of light floating in front of her hands. She gazed in wonder and reached out to touch them but Loki flicked his wrist and they disappeared.

"Good, now you can defend yourself. We're done for the day."

She stared at him bewildered, "That's it?"

"Yes," he called back to her as he walked off.

"Seriously? You'll practically beat the shit out of me and then when I finally stop you once we're done?"

He stopped and turned, "Your language really is atrocious and yes that's it for this evening. I'll meet you out here again after the first meal."

Isabelle closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, this man was infuriating. When she opened her eyes he was nowhere to be seen. Just as well she thought, she wanted to murder him less when she couldn't see him. She stalked back to her room and flung herself down on her bed now caring that she was fully clothed. She kicked off her shoes and relaxed into the plush pillows under her head. She didn't bother with the covers, she was still to warm from being outside.

Thor stopped Loki outside of his chamber, "How did she do?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "Am I reporting to you now brother?"

"Yes, I want to make sure you're actually preparing her or she will stand no chance."

"She figured out how to defend herself, she'll do just fine."

"But she needs to be able to attack with her magic as well."

Loki sighed, "It is rather late brother, I'll teach her tomorrow." He knew the answer didn't satisfy Thor but he didn't want to deal with the human anymore today.

"Fine, I'll update father on her progress," with that they walked into their separate rooms. Loki changed into his bed clothes and laid down. He found himself hoping he hadn't injured the poor girl but quickly shook the thought from his head. She may be beautiful and intelligent but she was expendable, just like all humans. Odin may have allowed her to remain a demigod and made her a princess but he forced himself to think of her as nothing. He couldn't though, he had been with her for her entire life thus far, he should care about her it was only natural. He tired to quiet his inner turmoil but couldn't and continued to lay staring at the canopy on his bed wishing sleep would wash over him and wondering if she thought about him when he wasn't with her.


End file.
